Conveyer-pipe cleaner



Feb. 12, 1929.

I J. L. GRAY CONVEYER PIPE CLEANER Filed Nov. 21, 1927 INVENTOR Jfi? A, 69.43/

ww m Petented Febe 12, 1929.

uri-ao STATES JASPER L. GRAY, 'OF GASTONIA, NOBTH CAROLINA.

ooNvEYER-ritrE CLEANER.

' Application filed November 21; 1927. Serial No. 234,?18.

This invcntion is an improvement in cleaners tor pipeconveyers, and more particularly in a cleaner especially designed for cleaning cotton during its passage through a pneumatic conveyer.

Cleaners of the character in question are interposed in pneumatic conveyers, with the object of screening 'from the cotton during its passage sand dirt, motes,- and the like, carried by the cotton, the cotton being passed over a grid through which such matter may fall.

In the usualeonstruction, the grds quickly become clogged, thus lessening their efciency. The openings in the grids are small, and easilycloggeclby foreign bodies, so that theeffective area of the screen is lessened to a greater or less extent.

Cleaners of the character in question are usually provided with a receptacle for the 1 foreign matter below the grid. nthis receptacle there is a continuous agitation due to the air current in theconveyer, and a part of the contents thereof are drawn back into the circulation, so that the efticiency of the cle'aner asa dirt remover is greatly lessened.

One of the primary objects of the :present invention is the provision of a cleaner, wherein a grid is used, of a character such that the air draft will vibrate the same, to obtain sufficient agitation to prevent clogging, and to dislodge foreign matter which may be caught in the grid Another obj ect is the provision of a form of receptacle, such that agitation therein due to the air circulation is reduced to a mininum, thereby to prevent suction of the removed foreign matter into the circulation.

Another object is the provision of a simple and inexpensive Construction, capable of in terposition in the usual character of conveyer, and with as slight possible departure from accepted constructions, as 'is consistent with attainment ot' the end Sought. p

With theseand other objects inview the invention consists in the Construction and novelcombinationoi parts fully described heroina-fiter, illustratcd in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in` the claims appended hereto, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of Construction within the' scope of the claims, may be resorted to withent instance a bolt or bolts.

put departing from the spirit of the inven- 1on. 4 u

In the drawings torming a ,part hereofz- Fig. l is a longitudinal section ofa pneumatic conveyer provided with the improved cleaner. i

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail of the grid or screen.

The present embodiinent of the invention is shown in connection with a pneumaticconveyer 1 otusual Construction, the said conveyer. including a pipe of substantially circular cross section through which the cotton is blown by a suitable air compressing or eX- hausting device. 7

At suitable inter-Vals in the length of the pipe the cleaners are arranged. Each of the said cleaners includes a box shaped structure having side walls 2, usually of Wood, and end Walls 3, which may be partly of: Wood, and partly of metal as shown. i Instead of being circular at the cleaner, the pipe is inverted trough shape, as indicated ata, the side walls of the trough shaped portion ,diverging at substantially a right angle 'as shown, and

abuttng the sides of the grid to be later described. p

The structure also includes a plurality of doors 6, forning the bottom of the structure, each door being hinged to one side wall as indioated at 7, and having a detachable connection With the other Wall, by means of latch mechanism indicated at 8, in the pres- By releasing the latches, the doors may be opened to remove the accunulation of foreign matter in the structure.

In order to ninimize agitation in the structure, it being understood that the said structure is separated from the, portion of the pipe through which the cotton travels by means of the grids or screens to be laterdesoribed, `bafiies 9 are arranged transversely of the structure at suitable intervals, the

said battles dividing the structure into a plurality of compartments.

One of the doors 6 is provided i'or each compartment, so that each compartment may be cleaned independently ot the other, and a cleaner unit may include a plurality of the compartnents, as :for instance three in the 'present instance. Atthe middlecompartment, the portion 4: of the conveyer has a cleanout hole 10, enabling access to this portion of thepipe or conveyer.

A grid or screen is arranged between each compartm'ent of the cleaner and 'the'bod'y of the pipe. Each of these grids-iscomposed'of -a plurality of substantially parallehresilient steel bars '11, of suflicient thinness to be continually vibrated by the air current trav eling through the pipe, and by the cotton moving past the bars. The bars are-relatively closely spaced, and extend the full width of the box structure, andare connected 'at their endsby longitudnally extendng plates 12.

The structure and t he `side plates' of' the grids are connected to the conveyenby means of straps 13, which are rveted to the 'portion %l ofthepipe, to the side plates of the grd,

i i and to the side walls of the structure, as indicated at l l, 15 and-16, respectively. Thus the cleaner as a whole is supported by the conveyer. The strips 3 extendto 'the'lower edges of the' side walls 2, and' do not inter- 'ere with the operation of the doors "fReferrng particularlyto Fg. 3, it will'be 'noticed that the bars 11 bf'all of theigrds are'inelin'ed slightly from the Ve1'tical,tl1e inclinationbeing about 15 *toward 'the 'inlet end ofthe conveyer Thus thebars are in.

'the best possible position to dislodge the foreign matter from the cotton, and to deflect it' into the'box structure. i

The nclination' ;also facilitatesVibration "of the bars, I So placed the bars ofi'er a slght hindrance to 'the' passage of the cotton,'agitating the same in the conveyer, andli'n'creas- 'ing !the dirt dislodgingfunction; jThe inclined arrangement tends to detlect a'porton of the air current through the grid,and th1s defiected portion acts not only to clean the grid but to give increased Vbration. 'f

The bafiles minmze the agtaton in the r box structure by the air current, so that-'the V foreign' matter which falls 'in' the comparta' ment s'renains, and is not carried back into i the circulation; Theimproved cleaners may `-be made of any' desired length, each with' as manycompartments aslmay bedesired The i battles may be spacedas close as may be neces- Sary. 'In practice each icompartment is'about two feet in'length. i e a "The cleaner s about twelve teet overall, having five 'part1t1ons, wh chcreate a Vacuum efiect preventing the motes and other like j particles from being drawn back into the c`oti ton by the draft of the fan. *With this length i or cleaner there should be' 'four hand bole' 'cleanouts 10, which provision enables the operator. to reach any part of y the cleaner without diculty. i What is claimed as new is i a 1 In apneumatic conveyer pipecleaner, a

;grd adapted'to be inset'n the bottom of the pipe to, form a partof the wall the'reof, said a `grd 'including 'bars relatively wide 'andrelav 1,7oi,ss2

tively thin to be Vibrated by the 'current of air passing thereover through the conveyer pipe, arranged in parallel spaced relation, and inclining slightly from the Vertical toward the inlet end of theppe.`

- 2., In a pneunatc conveyer pipe cleaner,a grid adapted to be insetin the bottom of the pipe in horizontal position and to form a' part of the wall thereof, said grid including relagrd adapted to be inset 'in thebottom of the V *ppe in horizontal 'position and to form a part of the wall thereor', saidgrd'including relaatvelywde and closely spacedcbars arranged' in spaced paralle'l relation and' inclined i slightly ;fron the Vertical toward the inlet end oi' the pipe whereby :toprovidea 'drag for the moving cotton, and to defiect a part of the current through the grid, said bars resil- "ient and relativelythin to 'be `Vibratedbythe' aii' current for 'the purpose' specified, and 'a box structure or" which the grid :forms thetop for receiving foreign matter passing through thegridi 'i i i 4. In a pneuma-t'c conveyerppe cleaner, a grid adaptedto be inset'in the bottom of the pipe in 'horizontal position' and to 'form a part of the wall thereo', said grid including -relatively wide bars arranged in spaced paral'lel :relation and inclined slightly from the vertical toward 'the inlet end of the pipe whereby'to 'provide adrag for the moving cotton, and to deflect a part of theburrent' through the grid, said bars reslient and rel-atively thin to be Vibrated' by the air current forthe purpose spec-fied,'and a box structure of which the grid forms thetop for receivng` foreign matterpassingthroughthe grid, said boxhaving battles' extending transverely' grid and the bottom of ther-ect 'between the the struga-ure.` p

v 5. In a pneumatc c onveyerpipe cleaner, a

` grid adapted tobe inset 'nthe bottom of the pipe in horizontal position and to form a part of'the: wall thereot, said grid including relatiVely widebars-arranged in s paced paral-lel relation and inclined slightly from the ertical toward the inlet end of'the pipe whereby to provide a-jdrag for the inoving cotton, and to deflect part of the current throughthe 'grid, said bars resilient and relatively thin to be Vbrated by the aircurrent for the pur- 'pose specfied,-and a box structure .of which 'the g'rid forms the top for receiving foreign matterpassing 'throughthe grd, said *box having bafiies extending tran-sversely thereof 'between the-grid and the bottom of the structure, and having clean-out doors in its bottom.

6. In conbination with a pneumatic conveyer for cotton and the like, a cleaner in cluding a box like structure forming the underside of the conveyer, and provided with a grid arranged between the structure and the conveyer in horizontal position and in substantial alinement with the bottom of the conveyer, said grd composed of plates arranged transversely of the conveyer in spaced arallel relaton and inclining at their upper ende toward the inlet end of the conveyer, said plates resilent and relatively thin tobe Vibrated by the air current.

7. A pneumatic conveyer pipe cleaner adapted to be inserted in the length of a con- Veyer pipe, and including a grid to be inset in the bottom of the pipe in horizontal position to form a part ofthe wall thereof, said grid eonposed of relatively wide and resilient plates sufiicently' thin to be vibrated by the air current through the pipe, said plates arranged in arallel relation and rgidly conconnected at their ends, the grid adapted to be arranged with the plates transverse to the conveyer, and with all of the plates nclining at their upper edges toward the inlet end of the conveyer. i

Signed at Gastona, N. C., in the county of Gaston and State of North Carolina, this 17 th day of November, A. D'. 1927.

J ASPER L; GRAY. 

